Asian Geographic - 08.2018

(Grace) #1
above The impressive
marine biodiversity is
a key characteristic of
Komodo National Park

left Blue-green
damselfish (Chromis
viridis) hover above a
table coral on a reef

WHEN
July to October,
August for sunfish

WHERE
Komodo National Park

HOW
From Bali Airport, fly to
Labuan Bajo or take a
three-day ferry

EXPERIENCE


DIVING


An entry on the Seven Wonders of Nature


and UNESCO World Heritage Site lists, this


beautiful diving spot sits in a narrow channel


between Flores and Sumbawa. Though famous


for its namesake monitor lizards, Komodo


Island also boasts some of the country’s best


sightings of marine life, with over 50 dive


sites teeming with dugongs, pygmy seahorses,


gobies, nudibranchs, scorpionfish, and rare


sunfish. On land, laid-back fishing villages,


coral cays and deserted beaches of pale


pink sand give the island its reputation as a


backpacker’s paradise.


INDONESIA


Explore the Seas


off Komodo Island


As the equatorial spot where the Pacific and
Indian oceans meet, the powerful, nutrient-
rich currents near Komodo Island have blessed
the area with amazing biodiversity and a
range of underwater environments, including
fringing and patch coral reefs, mangrove
forests, seagrass beds, and seamounts. The
currents make many of these dive sites suitable
only for advanced divers, and as the water can
be as cold as the high tens (in Celsius), be sure
to wear a thicker suit.
After a chilly dip, tuck into spicy nasi
goreng to heat yourself back up. This
Indonesian-style fried rice, made in homes
with leftover rice, contains either chicken
or seafood and is flavoured with soy sauce,
tomato sauce, tamarind and chilli, and then
topped off with a fried egg or prawn crackers.

P U L A U


KOMODO Komodo
National Park
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